Many toddlers and/or other young children are often unaware that they should utilize facilities for their toilet needs and, as such, typically require encouragement or notice from their parents or other caregivers. However, as children grow older and mature, some become too embarrassed to request the guidance and/or direction of their parents/caregivers in utilizing such bathroom facilities. Such children would be less self-conscious and would visit bathroom facilities, if they had some form of discreet reminder, thereby overcoming the need to rely upon others for such direction and/or guidance.
Additionally, young children often have difficulty in awakening before their bladders become full, and, due to deep sleep, often relieve themselves in the bed while sleeping. Over time, sleep habits usually develop, wherein children awaken prior to soiling their bedclothes. However, until development of such habits, it is desirable that they have some means for awakening prior to a bed-wetting event.
Even older children may sleep deeply and be unaware of their need to relieve themselves. Thus, such older children may suffer considerable embarrassment if they soil their bedclothes, particularly when visiting and sleeping over at a friend's house.
Older adults losing their faculties may also be unaware of their need to relieve themselves, whether asleep or awake, and can become quite embarrassed when they accidentally their bedclothes and/or themselves. However, if provided with a discreet warning, they would be able to avoid such embarrassment.
Accordingly, it is highly desirable for such children and older adults to have a discreet device that can alert or awaken them so they can visit the facilities, as necessary.
In view of a recognized need for an alarm device that provides time intervals between alerts, many attempts have been made to manufacture or make a device to alert a person. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,591,956 to Draghi discloses an interval timer with an audible output, having a motor-driven control cam that governs the output mechanism, enabling operations upon the completion of time intervals of irregular duration. However, Draghi '956 does not teach the utilization of a discreet headset earphone, nor progressively increasing the sound/tone level therefrom.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,365,496 to Tolan-Samilow discloses a potty trainer timepiece comprising an alarm circuit for producing an alarm signal, an alarm timer for timing an alarm interval and activating the alarm circuit, and an alarm pre-set for providing a user with means to adjust the alarm interval. Additionally, the Tolan-Samilow '496 device comprises an offset timer for selecting a delay interval and activating the alarm circuit and a delay pre-set for providing a user with means to adjust the alarm interval. A controlled event switch selects between the alarm timer and the offset timer. The device of Tolan-Samilow '496 does not teach a discreet earphone headset, nor increasing sound/tone volume level, and does not specify awakening a user during sleep periods.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,929,747 to Rosenblatt, et al. teaches a silent vibrating alarm, but does not teach the utilization of an earphone headset to sound a discreet alarm, nor the utilization of progressively louder volume of sound/tone.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0123330 to Carter et al. discloses an event timer having an adaptive interval for toilet training, comprising a timer for cumulatively adapting timing intervals to the needs of a particular user in response to input of potty training events. The event timer includes an input with buttons for providing user input to the adaptable timer indicating the occurrence of a potty training event. An output is connected with the adaptable timer for signaling the expiration of a timing interval, whereby the user input is utilized by the timer to adjust timing intervals based on the frequency of the occurrence of the event to more closely approximate the frequency of the occurrence of the event. The timing intervals may also be user-specified. The device of Carter et al. '330 covers a full 24-hour cycle. The device of Carter et al. '330 does not, however, teach a discreet earphone headset, nor the utilization of progressively louder sound/tone levels to awaken a heavy sleeper.
Therefore, it is readily apparent that there is a need for a discreet bed-wetting alarm and method of use thereof, providing for increasing volume of sound/tone, wherein a bed-wetting user can select appropriate time intervals for activation of an alarm to awaken the user prior to a bed-wetting event.